


The Time That Passes

by Harvestqueen



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/M, Romance, Sequel, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-26
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-08-11 03:34:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7874593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harvestqueen/pseuds/Harvestqueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The battlefield is the last place a father expects to meet his son.<br/>Sequel to Things You Left Behind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

I don’t know why pickpocketing feels so much worse than any other form of stealing, but it does.

Perhaps it’s because you have to get close to the person to actually steal. Usually look at them, smile politely because they don’t realize what you’re doing. I hate it, always have. I avoid doing it when I can, but sometimes you can’t. 

Three gold. That should be enough to get some food, and that is all I’m asking for today. No one has any honest work when you’re staying out of big cities, staying off the royal radar at all costs, so I do what I know. I’ve managed to go months without stealing, a personal best for me, but today I had to. Nothing to hunt, no work to be done. 

I go to a local stand and buy a small fish that I can bring back to my camp to cook. I’m staying a few miles away from town and I always move every few days. Staying in one place is the best way to get caught. People still know who I am, my reputation is still large in outlaw circles. All it takes is one person selling me out to the Nohrian royalty and Corrin will find me again. They can’t sell me out if they don’t know where I am.

I don’t know what they would do if they found me, and at this point the fear of finding out is what keeps me on my toes. Her family will probably try kill me for leaving her, or punish me for deserting the army at the very least, but they aren’t the ones that concern me. It’s Corrin. Will she still love me if she ever finds me, or will she hate me as much as they probably do? Will she finally see me as the disgusting outlaw I am, or will she still be blinded by her infatuation? Why did I let her fall in love with me? It was reckless, irresponsible. It’s also the one thing I can’t completely blame on myself. How was I supposed to know she would? I’m not good enough for her, I thought she’d know enough to stay away.

What worries me most is the thought that she has moved on. I don’t know if my heart could handle that. What’s even worse though? The thought that she hasn’t moved on. She deserves the family she wants.

It’s selfish to want her to still love me.

As I make my way out of town there’s a loud scream from one of the women in town. I drop the fish on instinct and draw my bow, turning back towards the noise. The next sound I hear is steel swords clashing. I barely have any time to react.

I shoot the first soldier I see and run over to check. A Nohrian soldier, no one I know. It must just be a Nohr invasion, they like to pick on villages much smaller than their own kingdom, dominating where they can. They’re attacking hard though, and I shoot another arrow, taking another one down. 

I can’t be here. I know that I can’t. As much as I want to help the town I know that soon enough the others will get here. Xander tracks what happens in small towns like these through Lilith, he keeps track. To preserve myself I must leave, as selfish as it may seem.

I wait though, shooting more Nohrian soldiers as they try to invade. They don’t seem to notice me at first. The town is in chaos, people running around trying to defend themselves, I don’t know who is who yet. Amid the chaos there is an explosion, and I’m sent flying back.

I turn over while knocked down and shoot an arrow at the mage, it’s clear who it is. My arm is hurt though, badly, it’s the only arrow I can get off. I look back to the town and there’s still no one I recognize, but there’s nothing more I can do. I scramble to my feet and go to run, but then stop when I see what’s in front of me.

It’s a child, a young boy no more than thirteen. He has white hair and he’s knocked out cold. He’s dressed in armor that Corrin would wear. She told me it was Nohrian. The Nohr army is ruthless, but would they bring a defenceless boy into battle? 

My mind flashes to Corrin’s army, but there’s no way they would let a child fight. He must be Nohrian. Besides, they aren’t even here yet.

There’s another explosion and I don’t hesitate to pick up the unconscious boy soldier and run. I have done many terrible things, but letting a child die isn’t one of them, and it never will be. 

I run far from town into the forest I have been calling home. Looking around I place him down gently on the forest floor, out of breath. He’s still out cold, and now I’m very glad I took him away from there. He would have died for sure, his army not caring about him.

I just shake my head. At least he’s alive. Maybe after everything is calm I can find out where he came from, bring him back home.


	2. Chapter 2

“Ow…”

I sit up when I hear him make the noise. It’s hours later and the noises from the battle have died down a lot. Even from miles away I could hear some of the explosions, but there hasn’t been one in an hour. I’ve counted. I get up and walk to the boy’s side, passing him a vulnerary.

“Here, drink this,” I tell him and he sits up and looks at me skeptically. 

“Who are you?” He asks and takes it, not drinking it right away. He’s a smart kid, I wouldn’t drink anything given to me by a man like me as well. 

“That’s not important. Now drink. It’ll help with your injuries.” I tell him and he still doesn’t drink. “It’s just a vulnerability, most armies have them don’t they?”

He sighs and takes a long sip, wrinkling his nose and coughing. I can’t blame him, the stuff tastes terrible. “How can who you be not be important? You don’t want to tell me?”

“If your army knew who I was they would kill me. I’m an outlaw, that’s all you need to know.” I say and he leans back, letting the vulnerability take effect. He still looks young even when awake.

“Oh… Well I’m Kana.” He says and gives a small smile. “And my army wouldn’t kill you. They don’t kill innocent people. And my mama would never kill anyone who helped me. I’ll just tell her you’re my friend!”

I pause. “Your mom?”

He nods. “Yes. My mom. She is Princess of Nohr, commander of the Nohrian Hoshidian resistance army. She’s the bravest knight in all the world.”

My heart just about stops when he says it. Princess of Nohr. So he is from their side… But then I think more. The commander of the army is Corrin. But this kid is twelve at the very least, she never had a kid when I was with her. Not one I knew about anyway. She’s too young to have a kid this age. And if she did, why is he fighting in the army?

“Why does your mom have you fighting kid?” I ask him and he shrugs.

“I can become a dragon. I’m usually strong… I guess not enough. I hope she doesn’t send me back to the deeprealm.”

Of course he can turn into a dragon, just like his mom. She would never let him serve in the army if it wasn’t safe for him. There had to be a reason. And deeprealms, I’ve heard of those. They’re supposed to be a safe place where someone can put their children. They’re very safe, but time moves faster there. Corrin explained what they were to me once.

Time moves faster in the deeprealm.

I look at him again and he tilts his head. Could he be my son? I look up at the sky to focus, doing some math. I left Corrin almost a year ago. That means she would have gotten pregnant, had nine months, given birth… 

“What does your father think about you serving?” I ask. He might not be mine. Laslow has similar hair to mine, similar eyes as well. He could be his. They were dating before she fell for me, maybe they wound up back together. Maybe she did move on. That would be a good thing. He would have a dad, she would have a husband.

But he shakes his head. “My dad doesn’t know. I don’t really know him…”

I stay completely calm, for the sake of Kana, but internally I’m losing my mind. I never would have left if I had known she was pregnant, Corrin has to know that. I would never leave my child, I would have stayed no matter what I thought about myself. She has to know. 

“Come on, we gotta get you back home. I bet your army is still in the town.” I say and stand, extending my arm to help. 

He gets up and winces. “My leg still hurts.” He admits and I sigh, kneeling down.

“Get on my back. We have to get you home.”

He hesitates again but then gets on my back, wrapping his arms around my neck. He’s a slender boy so it doesn’t take much effort to stand back up. “Why are you so worried?” He asks.

“Well… If you are royalty then I could get in trouble for having you.” I lie and start to make my way back to the village. 

Kana talks the entire way, and I try to listen. When he brings up a mundane topic though I go straight to my head, lost in thoughts. The fear of what they will do to me when they see me means nothing now. It’s not about me, or even about Corrin. I have a son, I have to take care of him. But will she even want me in his life? 

I felt horrible for leaving, spending the last year hating myself for what I had done. But I thought at least I had done the right thing. I honestly believed that Corrin needed better than me, that I would only hold her back. But a child… I left her alone with a child. Gods only know what she had to endure because of me. 

I hear her voice right away as we approach the village. “Kana!” She’s screaming and I swallow. 

“Yell out to your mom.” I tell him right away and he cups his hands to his mouth.

“Mama! I’m okay!” He calls. 

I put him down and look at him. The thought flashes through my mind that I could run, I could leave, but it only stays for a minute. I can’t leave her again, and I especially can’t leave my son. Even if the royal family does end up killing me, that’s better than deserting them again.

I see her at the edge of town, worry etched clearly on her face. The town is almost rubble with only a few structures standing, the rest having been burnt. There are a number of survivors though all gathered in one place. All I’m focusing on is Corrin though.

Once she sees him she doesn’t even notice me. Kana takes a few steps forward but it doesn’t matter, Corrin runs to him and pulls him into a tight embrace. “My baby boy, I was so worried…” She says quietly, her voice shaking. 

“Mama, I’m okay… Don’t be upset.” He says and hugs her back. She’s so lost with him that she doesn’t see me, but the others do.

It takes no time for the other royals to surround me, separating me from Corrin. That was the closest I have been to her in a year and now she is once again out of reach. Xander and Ryoma are on either side, with Hinoka and Camilla surrounding me as well. Both of them draw their weapons.

“You,” Hinoka growls and I get on my knees right away, putting my hands behind my head. Xander wastes no time grabbing my bow and quiver and tossing them off to the side.

“I surrender to the Nohrian Hoshidian Resistance army as a deserter.” I say in the hopes that they won’t kill me. Not in front of Kana at least.

“How dare you speak,” Camilla says and jumps off her weavern, holding her battle axe. 

“Mama, what are they doing to my friend?” I hear Kana say. I close my eyes. 

“Just don’t do it in front of him,” I say quietly. “Kill me but not in front of him. Please.”

Camilla exchanges a look with Ryoma who just nods. She rolls her eyes and then looks at Corrin and Kana. “Corrin you should go get little Kana checked out by Elise and Azama.”

“Mama don’t let them hurt him!” Kana begs and looks up at her. She’s just staring at me blankly. He tugs on her arm. “He didn’t mean to take me! He helped me! He’s my friend mama he saved me don’t let them hurt him!”

She looks down at her son. “Go see Aunt Elise, okay Kana?” 

“But Mama-“

“Don’t worry, just do as I say.” She says and kisses his head. He looks at me and I see his eyes are just like mine. Reluctantly he runs off, and I take in a deep breath.

“Just do it.” I tell them and Corrin steps forward.

“No one is going to touch Shura.” She growls and gets them all to back off. She walks over to me and pulls me to my feet, stepping in front of me to put a barrier between me and her siblings.

“He deserted the army. Worse yet he deserted you and his son,” Xander growls.

“He saved my sons life. I think that earns him a royal pardon on the desertion.” She looks at me and then at them. “As for the other… He didn’t know I was pregnant. And I can handle him deserting me on my own.”

“Corrin-“ Camilla starts but she’s cut off.

“Give us space. Now.” She says to them. They all glare at me before walking away. 

She turns to me and our eyes lock. There’s nothing but complete silence between us. She looks as beautiful as she did the day I left, but I see the pain in her eyes. It makes me hate myself that much more. 

“Shura…” She says and then closes her eyes, shaking her head. “You’re coming with us. We can talk more later. I have to go check in on my son.”

With that she turns and leaves. I release my breath and watch as she goes to find Kana. I don’t know what I could have said to make her feel better.

I don’t know if there is anything I even can say to make up for what I have done.


	3. Chapter 3

“So he has no idea who his father is?” 

Corrin and I are sitting in the mess hall together, like we did when we were first starting to talk. Same table off to the side. I can’t keep my eyes off Kana though who sits at the long table, surrounded by his family. He has the biggest smile on his face. It’s distracting enough that I almost don’t notice everyone else in the army giving me dirty looks.

“I didn’t tell him anything. Not even your name. He didn’t ask all that much about you,” She says and I nod. It’s a hit to the heart but I don’t take it personally. I left them both, I wouldn’t give me much thought either. 

“He seems really happy,” I say, wishing I could’ve been here for him growing up.

“He is. A little ray of sunshine for the army. Tough fighter too, a dragon like me. He’s twelve, but grew up kind of alone like me. So that’s why he seems younger sometimes…” She says and I look at her. She’s still not smiling, probably doesn’t know how to react to me being back. I don’t blame her. “Shura…”

She stops as if she doesn’t know what to say. I look back at her, wanting to comfort her, make her feel better, but I know I can’t. I’m the source of her pain. “I’m so sorry Corrin.” I murmur, it’s the very least I can say.

She closes her eyes. “I was just getting used to being alone Shura. Kana and I are our own family, I was giving up on finding you…”

“Do you want me to leave?” I ask. The thought of leaving them behind is disgusting, but if it is what I need to do to make her life, and more importantly Kana’s life better, I will.

Thankfully though she shakes her head. “That isn’t what I want at all. I don’t know what I want.” She says and sighs. “Why did you leave me?”

I sigh. “You know why.”

“You said to protect me. But how many times did I tell you I didn’t want that? I just wanted you. Why didn’t you just listen to me?” She asks.

It’s a question I have been asking myself for the past year. Why didn’t I just listen? I could have stayed with her, could have been happy. Now I’m thinking that I could have been with my son. I have been searching for the answer to that question myself all year, and I just look at her.

“Because I loved you too much to see you waste your life on me. You are young, beautiful, strong and smart, and you are still the kindest woman I know…” I say and she tries to talk. “Wait, let me finish. All I am in my eyes is a thief, a kidnapper, an outlaw. Someone who will never be worthy of your love. That is why you can never understand my decision, because you don’t see me as that. You see me as someone good, someone that you love. And you see me that way because you are so kind.”

“So what does that mean?” She asks and I sigh.

“When I left, I saw it as me taking away something that would be a source of pain, because I see myself as bad for you. But when I left… You saw it as me taking away your love. That’s why your family wants to kill me, to take away something that hurt you. But you don’t see what hurt you, what could hurt you. You still don’t see me in that negative way. I don’t know what I have done to earn any amount of mercy from you.”

She stays quiet and bites her lip. She always used to be bad at hiding how she felt, but today I can’t read her, I don’t know what she’s thinking.

“Corrin, I understand if you hate me after what I’ve done. But I want to be here for Kana,” I tell her and she turns to me. “He is my son and I want to be here for him from now on. If you think that would be okay for him. And I also want to do anything I can to take away some of the pain I gave you. If that means staying away then I will do that. If it means spending the rest of my life making it up to you, I will do that as well.”

She looks back over at Kana and I can’t help but look with her. I’m glad he’s happy and good like her, he seems nothing like me.

“I want you to be here for Kana too… But let’s not tell him you’re his father just yet. He’ll need some time,” she says slowly, as if she’s thinking everything out. “As for us… For now we will serve together. I’m not sure.” She says and looks at me. “I’m not sure to what degree I want you back in my life Shura. But we will see.”

I nod and give a small smile, which she returns. “Mama!” We both look over to Kana running over to our table, smiling broadly. He looks at me. “Hello!”

I smile. “Hey, glad to see you’re feeling better.” I say, honestly worried about him when I saw him in town.

“Of course he’s better. Kana’s the strongest boy in the whole kingdom.” Corrin smirks and Kana laughs. She pulls him into a hug and then sits him down beside her. “Kana, this is Shura. He agreed to travel with the army.”

“Cool!” He smiles brightly. “Hey maybe you could teach me how to shoot arrows?”

I grin, remembering how I taught his mom to shoot. I wonder if she can still do it, if she still even cares. I nod. “Sure thing Kana. I have a feeling you’ll be a natural.”


	4. Chapter 4

“You just have to lift it a little bit more, then you’ll be able to hit the target better. I know it will feel like you’re aiming too high but trust me, it will work.”

“Yes sir,” he says and raises the arrow slightly. He has a determined look on his face that he always gets when he’s training. We’ve been working on arrows for three days, and he has been progressing fast. He didn’t have the same problems as Corrin, not as stressed as she was so he had no problem clearing his mind. His problems came with his strength and focus. He always fights as a dragon so he doesn’t have the same physical strength.

He lets the arrow go and it flies to the target. He hits it, not quite a bullseye but not far off, and the arrow actually sticks in the target.

“Yes!” He says happily and I see Corrin look at us from the dummy she is attacking. At first I thought she trained in the evening so she could keep an eye on me with Kana, but apparently she has been training this late since I left.

“Good job,” I smile. “You just need to keep working on your drawback, but you’re getting better.”

“I’ve been practicing with Nina,” he explains. I saw her fight yesterday, she’s actually quite talented with the bow. As skilled as her father I would say. 

“Well good. Training is how you get better with weapons. If you train enough you could wield your own bow someday.” I tell him as Corrin walks over.

“Wow, I didn’t get that close to the bullseye until I had been training for a couple weeks,” she says and smiles, putting her hands on his shoulders. “Good job Kana.”

He beams a big smile at her. “Thanks mama! Shura is a good teacher!”

She looks at me and smiles again. “Yeah, he is… He’s actually the one that taught me how to shoot too.”

Kana and I both pause and look at her quizzically. The entire time I have been here, which hasn’t been long, she hasn’t told him anything of our past relationship. Not even that we knew each other, or that I was part of the army at some point. I would’ve thought it was for the best, not knowing how to explain why I left without explaining that I was together with her, that we were in love.

“I didn’t know you could use a bow and arrow,” he says, seeming to ignore the fact that we knew each other.

She nods and takes the bow from his hands. I pass her an arrow and she goes back to the furthest line. We both follow her. Kana keeps his eyes glued to the target but I watch her.

“I haven’t shot since… Well I’ll explain in a minute.” She says and raises the arrow. She holds the stance for a few seconds before I walk over to her.

“You’re too tense…” I say gently and she nods. “Your shoulders are too high.” I place my hands on her shoulders to get them to relax. She relaxes to the touch. “You’re holding in too much air. Remember, release at the exhale. Take your time, clear your mind.”

She glances at me and nods. She has the same determination in her eyes that I recognize from so long ago. Now I see it in Kana’s eyes too. He has my eyes, but all her personality behind them.

She releases the arrow and it flies straight, hitting a bullseye.

We both stand in silence as she lowers the bow, smirking. “Woah!” We both watch as Kana runs towards the target, inspecting the arrow. “Right in the center! That was so cool Mama!”

She laughs and looks at me. “Well, I had a good teacher. You’ll be able to do that if you keep practicing.”

He nods and comes back to us. “How did Shura teach you? Didn’t you just meet him?”

She shakes her head. “Well… No Kana.” She says. “Shura was actually part of the army a while ago. Before you were even born. We were… Friends. That’s why when he found you and heard about me he brought you right back, because he knew I would be worried sick about you.”

“Oh,” he says and looks at me. “Why did you leave?”

I have been thinking of how I would answer this for the past few days, still with nothing exactly planned. Corrin jumps in though. Maybe she had thought more about this, but then again her answer is no better than what I had come up with. “He had to leave for a bit,” she says, “He always wanted to come back, but there were some problems. Right Shura?”

I look at her, knowing that she’s lying and hating that I have put her in that position. I just nod, playing along. “Right.” I say, which isn’t exactly a lie. I did want to come back, desperately. I wanted to see her again and be back together. I was never planning on returning though, it’s fate that I did.

“But come on, I can tell you more about that later. It’s time for bed.” She says and he nods. “I can put away your bow.”

He nods and then gives her a big hug. “Goodnight Mama,” he says and then turns to me. “Goodnight Shura! Thank you for training me!” He says and then runs off. He says the same thing every night.

I go to the target area to collect all the arrows, her putting away the dummy and sword she was using along with Kana’s bow. There’s silence between us for a few minutes before she finally speaks. “You’re good with him you know.”

I put away the quiver. “Well he’s a sweet kid.”

“Yeah. He really likes you.” She leans against the walls. “I don’t know how we are going to tell him you’re his father though.”

“I don’t ether.” I say and go stand with her, looking out into the training grounds. It’s so big when it’s empty, feels so much more immense than when it is full of people. 

“Are you going to leave again?” She asks and I shake my head quickly. She closes her eyes and nods. “I thought so. People keep saying that you will. I knew you wouldn’t.”

“I can’t blame them for not trusting me I guess.” 

She nods and then stands up straight. “I’m going to head to bed,” she says and then starts to leave. She then pauses and turns back to me. “I’m really glad you’re back Shura. I was doing fine raising Kana on my own… But I’m glad he can have his father in his life.”

She always sounds so sincere when she talks, such a lovely soft voice when we’re alone. I thought I never would’ve heard it again. I smile lightly at her as she leaves. 

I’m glad I was wrong. I’m glad I can hear her voice again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end to this story might take longer to put out than the rest of it took because I'm not sure how to end it but I want to do it properly so I'm really just planning it to make sure it ends right. Let me know what you guys think of the story though, always keeps me motivated to see your comments.


	5. Chapter 5

The weeks feel shorter when I’m with Kana and Corrin.

The year we were apart felt like an eternity, I felt every agonizing minute. Then again all I could think about was how I left, how she must be feeling, how horrible of a person I was. It’s not like that anymore. Well, not as much. 

I’m still reminded on a daily basis just what of a horrible person I am when I’m constantly met by the glares of the rest of the army. Whenever I go to train, eat, see Kana, anything. They don’t let up, and I don’t blame them. It’s getting harder to explain to Kana why everyone hates me and why they all avoid me though, especially his family.

The royals still hate me, and make no attempts to hide that fact. The only ones who are marginally nice to me are Elise, Sakura, and shockingly enough Azura. Even then I suspect they only do it because Kana is usually with me. Or they were raised to be polite. I expected Ryoma and Xander to be the worst, but it’s actually Camilla and Hinoka who are the angriest. If I even pass by them when Kana isn’t there Camilla is quick to let me know how much she loathes me.

That’s why I am not looking forward to getting together with her family tonight.

“It will be good for Kana if my family doesn’t hate you.” Corrin tells me for the millionth time. Initially I said no to the meeting, putting it off for weeks. I kept saying they needed time to calm down, once they’re calmer then the meeting can be more civil. It became quickly apparent that they weren’t going to calm down, so then I agreed. Then it took her convincing her family, which took another two weeks. 

Now I’m in the strategy room with her, nervous as all hell. There are maps sprawled out on the tables, little red X’s over the cities that have been destroyed by Garon’s armies, circles over the places that we still need to get to. I recognize a lot of the places as the places I have lived in the past year. Small villages, barely worth mentioning.

“Shura,” I look over at Corrin when she says my name. She smiles lightly. For the past couple weeks we have been getting closer. Her friendship isn’t something that I deserve, but I cherish it. If I ever said I didn’t deserve it I’m sure she’d slap me. “Just stay calm. This won’t be so bad.”

“Won’t be so bad?” I ask. ”Corrin they hate me. Rightfully so. I left you with a child. I’m easy to hate, and I deserve what they give me.”

She rolls her eyes then glares. My self-deprecation annoys her now more than it used to and I can almost feel the anger that comes off her when I talk poorly about myself. “Sorry,” I say quickly. 

“This is about Kana anyhow. Not about you guys. If they can’t see that… Well I’ll be pissed as all hell.”

I nod and keep telling myself that. This is about Kana, my sweet little boy who doesn’t need the exposure to hate. I may deserve the hate, but he doesn’t deserve to see all that. He deserves better than a father that is hated by his entire family, but this is what he has, so might as well fix it as much as I can.

The royals all walk in one by one. I’m glad that the Hoshidian royals are the first to show up with Azura. They may hate me, but I think it’s because of Sakura that they aren’t as aggressive. Either that or the Hoshidian culture is just different. Either way they just sit down, Corrin looks at me and gives me an encouraging smile. I can’t return it.

The Nohr nobles walk in next and sit down as well. Camilla wastes no time, glaring at me and saying; “I’m here for Kana and Corrin. Not for you.”

I nod. It’s what I expected. “I’m here for them too. Everything I have done since I came back is for their sake.”

“Just like you thought leaving was “for their sake”?” Hinoka cuts in. Before I can respond Corrin cuts in. 

“Guys, stop. We said we would be civil.”

Camilla keeps quiet, but the tension stays in the room.

“Good,” Corrin says and then glances at me, then looks back at her family. “Guys I need you to stop with all this stuff against Shura. I know he left, but the fact is he is part of our family. He’s Kana’s father.”

“He left you pregnant and alone,” Takumi says. “Someone in our family would not do that.”

“He has apologized to me for that every day since he came back,” she tells him. 

“Has he apologized to Kana for not being there the first part of his life?”

I look at him. “No, because Corrin has asked me not to tell Kana that he is my son yet.” I say. “Believe me when I say I want to apologize, and I never would have left I knew he was here.”

“You’d stay because she’s pregnant but not because you love her?” Hinoka asks in a growl. I don’t know what’s worse, the siblings that keep speaking up, or the ones staying silent.

“I wanted to stay, of course I love her. But the situation wasn’t that simple.”

“You could’ve talked about it,” Azura pipes up. “We could have talked it through…” She doesn’t sound as angry as the others. There has always been a gentleness about her, she was the quiet royal. 

“I know that now,” I sigh, “I am deeply sorry to Corrin for leaving… And I am deeply sorry for you Lady Azura for what I did in your past.” 

She gives a small smile but the words do nothing to calm the anger of the others. “Right, because let’s not forget that he is a kidnapper along with all the other horrible things,” Camilla growls.

“Okay that is enough!” Corrin snaps and stands up. “I am tired of you treating Shura this way! I am the one he hurt and I can get over it! He has apologized, he has been here, and he has been an amazing father since he has come back. He is the father of my son, so you will treat him with respect.” She growls, quite loudly. She can be intimidating when she wants to be, like a dragon being released.

The rest of the room is silent still, but Camilla just looks at her. “He left you. He can apologize all he wants, but that doesn’t erase the months you cried over him. The months we had to watch you miss him and hurt for him. None of that changes.”

“Yes, the months I cried Camilla… Gods, I am not a child anymore. I don’t need you constantly protecting me. I can make my own decisions, talk to who I want to talk to, be with who I want to be with, love whoever the hell I want to love.”

As soon as the word love is mentioned I look at her. She doesn’t even notice, too busy glaring at her older sister. 

Camilla looks at me though, and then back to her. “Do you love him?”

Corrin just stops. I figure she doesn’t know the answer to this, and I’m not surprised. After someone you love leaves you the way I left her… 

She doesn’t get the chance to answer though. We hear movement out from under the window of the room. We all look out to see Kana running away from the room. My heart drops into my stomach.

“How much of that do you think he heard?” Azura asks quietly, but we barely hear her. Corrin and I are both running for him.

“Kana!” She shouts. He doesn’t turn around. He’s very fast, and he’s heading right for Lilith’s temple. Right for the portals to the outer world are.

We’re in the temple about ten seconds after he is in. He isn’t inside though, but the portal is open. Corrin doesn’t hesitate to jump into it to go find him. I look back at the other royals who have followed close behind. “Come on!” I call and jump in as well. 

It’s dangerous to leave the castle without weapons, but we have to find him. It’s twice as dangerous for a young boy.


	6. Chapter 6

“KANA!” Corrin’s voice echos through the valley we’re in. It’s lush and green, not a town in sight, but our view is obscured by trees. He could be hiding in them, or he could be further away than we initially thought. 

Everyone is searching the area. Some of the royals went back to get their retainers and their weapons to help aid in the search, but Corrin and I pressed on. It’s hard to look at her right now. The fear is plainly written on her face, but it’s mixed with pain. It’s the same look I saw on her the day I came back, when he was injured in battle. 

“He’s going to be fine,” I assure her. “He’s a smart kid. Strong, like you. He’s a dragon, remember? He’s going to be fine.”

She’s shaking. Over the past few months I have barely been able to read Corrin, but one thing is always clear. Kana is her life. He is what she cares for most in this world. She would go to hell and back for that kid and if even a hair on that kid is touched by an enemy soldier she loses all thoughts of mercy. 

“What if he isn’t? What if he got lost?” She asks and looks at me. “He could be gone!”

“Corrin.” I turn and look at her, making her stop for a moment. “He is going to be fine. We will find him. Half the army is searching for him. Just stay calm.”

She nods, but still seems unconvinced. I can’t blame her. The thought of anything happening to Kana makes my heart race with fear. I feel sick just thinking about it. I don’t even care about what he heard us saying with the royals, if he hates me just like they do. I just want him safe.

She runs off to search for him and I go the opposite way to a bunch of trees. They’re quite large with thick green leaves covering the area. It cuts off the small amount of light I have but I search none the less. It seems almost hopeless in a way.

“Kana!” I call out. Nothing. I move on to the next tree and do the same thing. Then to the next tree and the next tree. He may be strong enough to fight in the army, but he is still a kid really. He’s small, could hide anywhere.

I get to one of the larger trees. Looks like the type of one I would have loved to play on as a child. “Kana!” I shout again, but this time I hear rustling up above, catching a glint of moonlight off the Nohrian armor he so often wears. I cup my hands over my mouth and yell, “Found him!”

He doesn’t try run. I pull myself up to one of the upper branches where he’s sitting, with some effort, and sit beside him. It’s thick enough to support us both. “Hey Kana…” I say quietly. He doesn’t say anything. “You had us all scared there. Your mom was terrified. You can’t run away like that.”

“You ran away.” He says simply and looks at me. “Why can’t I?”

I sigh. “Kana… You’re still so young. You can’t run like I did.” I say quietly. “Kana I never wanted you to find out about any of that like that.”

“So you’re my dad?” He asks and I nod. “You should have told me…”

“I know,” I say. Seeing him hurt is ripping me up inside, but I don’t leave. “I am so sorry Kana.”

“Did mom tell you not to tell me?” He asks. 

I shake my head. “No, she didn’t.” I lie. I hate to continue lying to him, but if he really is so angry at me he will need one parent to rely on. I can’t have him mad at Corrin, she didn’t do anything wrong.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” 

I look down when I hear the rest of the army heading our way. Good, they did hear. “You and your mom were so happy when I came here. It was like how she was happy when I was with her before I left… I ruined that once. And I hurt her. I didn’t want to ruin your family Kana, if you didn’t like me, or if I wasn’t good enough. I didn’t want to risk any chance of hurting you.”

“You wouldn’t ruin it,” he murmurs, “I like you…”

“I’m glad you do Kana. And I’m incredibly proud of who you are. I love you, and even though I haven’t been here long… I want to be your father.” I say. The silence of the night air hangs between us. 

He turns to me and our eyes lock. His are identical to mine, I can see it clear as day now. “I’m… Okay with you being my dad.”

He’s deliberate with how he words it. I can tell, he has the same thought process that his mother does. I nod. “Good.”

It’s quiet again and I hear them getting closer. “We should probably get down from here,” he says.

I nod. “We should.” I say and go to get down, and then look at him. “Are you mad at me?” I ask and he nods. “Thought so… That’s okay. You’re allowed to be mad at me, I’d be surprised if you weren’t… Just know that I’m not going anywhere. Whether you’re mad at me or not, I’m not leaving you, or your mom.”

He bites his lip and gives a short nod. I get down from the tree and help him down. It takes about five seconds before Corrin is attached to him, hugging him close.

“I was so worried about you baby boy.” She says and he struggles to wrap his arms around her because she’s holding him so tight. “Don’t you ever run off like that again!”

“Mama I won’t,” he says, looking almost embarrassed. Other members of the army are there, but they look relieved too.

She pulls away and looks at him. “Are you okay?”

He pauses. “Yeah Mama, I’m okay.”

She pulls him into a tight embrace again and I smile lightly. She stands and we all start to head back home.

*

The next night we’re back to training. Kana isn’t much for talking to me, but he trains alongside me either way. He hits his fifth bullseye in a row.

“Good job.” I smirk. “See? Didn’t I tell you you’d be a natural with a bow and arrow?”

“Well that’s unfair,” he says, “You knew I’d be good because you were my dad.” He laughs lightly.

I laugh as well. “Either way I’m proud.” I say. Corrin walks into the training area and I glance at her. “You should head to bed though. It’s getting late.”

“Okay. Goodnight.” He says and then passes me the bow and quiver. It’s not as enthusiastic as how he used to say goodnight, but somehow feels better, more genuine.

Corrin walks over and takes the bow and one of the arrows from me. She gets the arrow ready and then pauses. “Shura? Can you help me with my stance?”

I nod. “Certainly.” I say and walk over. I’m about to tell her that her stance is flawless, but a small smirk twitches onto her face. I raise an eyebrow and then get behind her, putting my hands on her shoulder. “Relax Corrin…”

She nods and I can feel her taking deep breaths. I just watch her intently as she shoots the arrow, hitting a bullseye. “Hm. I still got it.”

She lowers the arrow and then looks at me. “Corrin…” I start and her eyes stay locked with mine. “Last night before Kana ran away… Camilla asked a question.”

“Yes, Camilla did ask a question,” she says. “What was the question?”

I can tell she knows, but she’s teasing me like a cat teases a mouse. She hasn’t acted this way since before we got together. “She asked if you were still in love with me.”

“And how did I respond?”

“You paused.” I say and she giggles. “So now I have to ask… What were you going to say?”

She takes a step forward so our bodies are almost touching. “Shura… I feel as though you know the answer. But you are far too humble to say it.”

Everything stirs up inside me, the feelings I had when I first realized I was in love with her. It’s like a storm inside me but this time it doesn’t feel fearful. I don’t feel any desire to run. “So you are in love with me then?”

She smirks and leans in, kissing me softly. Her lips are soft and sweet like her. It’s a feeling I have been yearning for since I left, something I have wanted to feel for the past year but had it just out of reach. 

She pulls away and leaves my heart pounding. “I told you I’d never stop loving you. But you didn’t believe me.”

She leaves me stunned in silence as she goes and puts the bow and arrows away. As she walks back to me she smiles. “Come on, you should come to bed now. It’s getting late.”

She takes my hand in hers as we leave the training area behind.

I don’t know what I did to ever deserve her, but at least I know this time I’m never letting go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is the end! Wow that was a wild fic to write and I really did enjoy it. I wanted to get it done tonight because tomorrow I am moving, so glad to get it done.  
> This fic took a lot of stress and anxiety out of me, so I'm happy that I wrote it and got it out there, and just hope that you guys all enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing. Comments and Kudos always appreciated, but yeah. Won't be writing any more sequels to this so this is the end. Might write more Shura though because he's an underrated character...  
> Anyway, hope you enjoyed! And thanks for following!


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